The non-profit organisation shared a letter signed by Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, hundreds of others.
26 Sep, 2026
The International Documentary Association (IDA) is rallying behind the directors of NAZA, a chilling new film which exposes AI-powered mass killings of Palestinians by the Israeli military.
In a letter posted to its website on Thursday, the IDA condemned the Israeli government’s “public campaign of intimidation” against Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, both Israeli, who have been accused of treason.
The move comes almost a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government would seek legislation to revoke the citizenship of anyone who ‘slanders’ or ‘defames’ Israeli soldiers or the state.
“Since NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice <a href="https://cinemamix360.com/2026/09/26/farhadis-parallel-tales-wins-best-screenplay-award-at-silk-road-international-film-festival/" title="Farhadi’s “Parallel Tales” wins best screenplay award at Silk Road International Film Festival“>Film Festival, senior Israeli officials have moved against its directors. The culture minister has accused them of treason and sought to revoke their citizenship. The prime minister has announced bills to revoke the citizenship of anyone who ‘slanders IDF soldiers’ and to raise defamation damages twentyfold,” the letter read.
It noted that this rhetoric has led to wider public backlash against the filmmakers. They have been labelled ‘traitors’ in graffiti, while people have protested outside the home of Szor’s parents.
The IDA stressed that holding a different view of a film should never put its creators at risk.
The letter continues: “The Israeli military disputes the film’s account, and it is entitled to do so. But as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Israel is bound by Article 19, under which restrictions on expression must be provided by law and be necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim. Revoking citizenship, imposing punitive damages, or opening security investigations in response to a documentary does not meet that test.”
The IDA called on the Israeli goverment to withdraw the threats to revoke Abraham’s and Szor’s citizenship, to respect the filmmakers’ journalistic right to refuse to disclose the identities of confidential filmmakers for critical work
At the time of writing this article, the IDA’s letter has been signed by nearly 300 people, including Hollywood actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, who are known for their vocal activism against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli military. Several Oscar-winning filmmakers such as Alex Gibney (who recently made headlines for his new documentary Musk) and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy also signed the letter.
NAZA takes its name from a euphemism used by Israeli intelligence to indicate how many civilians are expected to be killed in an airstrike. The documentary received a 25-minute ovation at its Venice premiere.
After its run in cinemas, the film will stream on The Guardian’s website for free in November, as part of the news organisation’s commitment to the dissemination of independent journalism.
